Hot Topic, Instant Replay and Player Notes

Site Staff

09/26/2005

Donovan McNabb continues to be hampered by a lower abdominal injury that is affecting his ability to run and pass.

McNabb completed just 11 of 24 first-half passes in Sunday's 23-20
win over the Raiders. He did much better in the second half, completing
19 of 28 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns, but admitted the pain
is bothering him.

"I'm a little banged up," he said. "But this is my job and this is
what I love to do. So, if I can find a way to get healthy and be out
there at a hundred percent, that's my goal."

The Eagles had McNabb examined last week to see if he might have a
sports hernia. All coach Andy Reid would say about the injury is that
"right now they are calling it an abdominal strain. That's what they're
calling it.

"Time should help it. Time should help heal that, but there's not a
lot of time."

Reid admitted that he gave some thought in the first half to
replacing the struggling McNabb with backup Koy Detmer, but decided
against it.

"There was a point where I thought about it, yes," Reid said. "There
was a point where he was hurting after he took a hit there. He tried to
run and took a hit. I thought about it."

McNabb likely won't practice much this week and is expected to be
listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Kansas City. McNabb said
he'll probably play unless there's a chance he could cause further
injury by playing.

"If it's a possibility with being out there that I can't get any
worse, then I'll be out there on the field," he said.

REPLAY

Quarterback Donovan McNabb, playing with an abdominal injury that
affected his play, struggled through an awful first half before catching
fire in the second half and leading the Eagles to a 23-20 win over the
Raiders.

McNabb completed 19 of 28 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns in
the second half as the Eagles battled back from a 10-6 halftime deficit.
Versatile running back Brian Westbrook notched his 12th straight
100-yard rushing and receiving game. He caught six passes for a
career-high 140 yards and rushed for another 68 on 13 carries.

PLAYER NOTES

--QB Donovan McNabb continues to be bothered by an abdominal injury
that is effecting his play. The Eagles are trying to determine whether
he has a sports hernia.

--PK David Akers aggravated his hamstring injury on the game's
opening kickoff. He returned to kick two extra points and a game-winning
23-yard field goal, but he almost certainly won't play Sunday against
Kansas City.

--PK Todd France, an NFL Europe product signed to the Eagles'
practice squad last week, is expected to be signed to their 53-man
roster and activated for this week's game against Kansas City. France
would replace injured David Akers, who aggravated a hamstring strain
Sunday.

--DE Juqua Thomas, the club's backup right end, injured his knee in
Sunday's win over Oakland and was scheduled to have an MRI to check the
severity of the injury.

--DT Darwin Walker, who sat out Sunday's game against Oakland with a
thigh contusion suffered in practice late in the week, is expected to
play this week against Kansas City. Rookie first-rounder Mike Patterson
replaced Walker in the starting lineup and notched his first NFL sack.